These 25 hospitals got the top
grade in safety ratings
(Photo by Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media)
By Kathleen O'Brien | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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on November 01, 2016 at 8:20 AM, updated November 01, 2016 at 8:34 AM
New Jersey hospitals collectively saw a slight improvement in their safety "report
card," in data released Monday, bringing their grades up from a drop last spring.
Although the hospitals are tied for 17 th nationally, that still puts them above the
national average as a group, as about a third of the 68 hospitals that share data with
a non-profit group received an 'A' grade.
Three hospitals – down from five – maintained their bragging rights by keeping their
streak of straight As alive from 2013, when the grades were first issued: Englewood
Hospital and Medical Center, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and Jersey City
Medical Center.
The safety grades are compiled by the Leapfrog Group, which was formed by
employers and public health experts who were concerned about the number of
avoidable safety problems at hospitals – infections, medication errors, an ill-trained
staff.
The group measures safety based on how likely patients are to get a hospitalacquired infection, have to return to the hospital after high-risk surgery, or be given
the wrong medication.
In New Jersey, 25 hospitals received an A, 15 received a B, 25 received a C, and
three were given a D.
"There's nothing dramatic in terms of changes from the Spring report – 11 hospitals
improved at least one grade, eight received a lower grade, and 47 remained the
same," said Aline Holmes, senior vice president of clinical affairs for the New Jersey
Hospital Association. "We continue to be proud of the work being done in our
members' hospitals to provide the best care possible."
The Leapfrog group's website, www.leapfrog.org, lets prospective patients research
the safety scores of hospitals in their region.
Englewood's chief population health officer, Kathleen Kaminsky, said the hospital
achieves its high score by emphasizing safety with everyone from the board of
trustees to all its employees.
"This is not a couple people trying to make it happen," she said. "It's not the survey
that's twice a year. It's something that we focus on every day."
Three hospitals in the state received a 'D' grade – two of which were in the process of
changing ownership when they were evaluated:

HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley reopened in 2013 after being acquired by
the parent company of neighboring Hackensack University Medical Center.
The hospital chose not to submit data to the Leapfrog survey from those
opening years, according to Emily Holliman, CEO of the hospital.
"Unfortunately, not submitting the data skewed our results ultimately resulting in the
"D" rating," she said. Noting that in other rating systems the hospital is above the
national average, she predicted the hospital's next Leapfrog grade would be better.

Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark was sold to Prime Healthcare, a forprofit company, this past May. That meant some of the information submitted
to Leapfrog reflected the hospital's operation before the sale.
"In the areas of the Leapfrog report that cover a more recent period under Prime
Healthcare's ownership, the report shows we have made vast improvements in our
processes in a short period of time," said Dr. Claudia Komer, the hospital's chief
medical officer.

A second Newark hospital, University Hospital, dropped from a 'C' to a 'D' in
this report.
"The Leapfrog letter grades are based on data that is one year outdated, and are
based on a methodology that is controversial," said a statement released by the
hospital's spokeswoman. "While the high quality work and outstanding outcomes of
University Hospital are not reflected in the Leapfrog scores, the executive leadership
team is revamping the way our data are documented, coded, captured and measured
so that the Leapfrog scores more accurately reflect the high level of clinical
excellence at University Hospital."
Leapfrog Safety Scores, Fall, 2016
Hospital
Fall
2016
City
Atlanticare Regional Medical
Center_Mainland Campus
Pomona
A
Bayshore Community Hospital
Holmdel
C
Cape Regional Medical Center
Cape May Court
B
House
Capital Health Medical Center _
Hopewell
Pennington
C
Capital Health Regional Medical
Center
Trenton
B
CarePoint Health_Bayonne Medical
Bayonne
Center
B
CarePoint Health_Christ Hospital
Jersey City
A
Carepoint Health_Hoboken
University Medical Center
Hoboken
B
CentraState Medical Center
Freehold
C
Hospital
Fall
2016
City
Chilton Medical Center
Pompton Plains C
Clara Maass Medical Center
Belleville
B
Community Medical Center of Toms
Toms River
River
C
Cooper University Health Care
Camden
C
Englewood Hospital and Medical
Center
Englewood
Straight A's
Hackensack University Medical
Center
Hackensack
B
Hackensack University Medical
Center at Pascack Valley
Westwood
D
HackensackUMC Mountainside
Montclair
C
HackensackUMC Palisades
North Bergen
C
Hackettstown Regional Medical
Center
Hackettstown
C
Holy Name Medical Center
Teaneck
A
Hunterdon Medical Center
Flemington
B
Inspira Medical Center Elmer
Elmer
A
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Vineland
A
Inspira Medical Center Woodbury
Woodbury
A
Jersey City Medical
Center_Barnabas Health
Jersey City
Straight A's
Jersey Shore University Medical
Center
Neptune
C
JFK Medical Center
Edison
B
Kennedy University Hospital _
Cherry Hill Campus
Cherry Hill
A
Kennedy University Hospital _
Stratford Campus
Stratford
A
Kennedy University Hospital _
Washington Township Campus
Turnersville
A
Lourdes Medical Center of
Burlington County
Willingboro
C
Meadowlands Hospital Medical
Center
Secaucus
C
Hospital
Fall
2016
City
Memorial Hospital of Salem County Salem
C
Monmouth Medical Center
Long Branch
A
Monmouth Medical Center
Southern Campus
Lakewood
C
Morristown Medical Center
Morristown
A
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark
C
Newton Medical Center
Newton
A
Ocean Medical Center
Brick
B
Our Lady of Lourdes Medical
Center
Camden
B
Overlook Medical Center
Summit
B
Raritan Bay Medical Center of Old
Bridge
Old Bridge
C
Raritan Bay Medical Center of
Perth Amboy
Perth Amboy
C
Riverview Medical Center
Red Bank
A
Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital
New Brunswick
B
Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital at Hamilton
Hamilton
C
Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital Rahway
Rahway
B
Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital Somerset
Somerville
A
Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Livingston
Straight A's
Saint Clare's Hospital of Denville
Denville
C
Saint Clare's Hospital of Dover
Dover
B
Saint Michael's Medical Center
Newark
D
Saint Peter's University Hospital
New Brunswick
A
Shore Medical Center
Somers Point
A
Southern Ocean Medical Center
Manahawkin
C
St. Francis Medical Center of
Trenton
Trenton
B
Hospital
Fall
2016
City
St. Joseph's Regional Medical
Center
Paterson
C
St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital
Wayne
C
St. Luke's Warren Campus
Phillipsburg
C
St. Mary's General Hospital
Passaic
C
The Valley Hospital
Ridgewood
A
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
Elizabeth
C
University Hospital
Newark
D
University Medical Center of
Princeton at Plainsboro
Plainsboro
A
Virtua Marlton Hospital
Marlton
A
Virtua Memorial Hospital
Mount Holly
A
Virtua Voorhees Hospital
Voorhees
A